Confundo
by bryancuypers
Summary: SEQUEL TO SWISH AND FLICK. It's Asher's second year at Hogwarts, and things are going a bit differently. Who is this Josiah person? And why does he keep messing everything up? Mostly OCs.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So this is the SEQUEL to Swish and Flick. Same characters, maybe a few more added in there. I have a few chapters of the third one written, so I'll be posting those sometime tomorrow. Let me know what you think! Review!**

* * *

**1 - Martha**

"Asher!"

Asher was returning from getting the mail in mid-July when he heard the familiar voice of his friend. He turned on the doorstep to see Martha running down the street toward him.

Martha looked like she always had, with shoulder-length curly dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Asher waited as she came running up to him and hugged him.

"You should have told us you were back! We're hanging out at Gabe's house right now! You should come!"`She grabbed onto his arm and began pulling him down the street.

"Luke! Gabe! Look who I found!"

Martha dragged Asher down into Gabe's basement, which was considerably different. The couch was moved out of the room, and there was now a small TV in the one corner, which Luke and Gabe were playing on. They looked over their shoulder, and did a double-take.

"Asher!"  
They swarmed him, hugging. When they stepped back, Asher got a better look at them.  
Luke was wearing clothes that fit, and he didn't have his glasses anymore. Gabe was standing straight up, and his hair looked like it hadn't been cut in a while.  
"Your hair! It's turquoise!" Luke said, reaching out to touch it.  
"Yeah. I know how to control it a little better now."

The three of them smiled.  
"How about you join us? We were just playing Super Smash Brothers."  
Asher smiled, "Sure."

"I want to tell Martha, Gabe and Luke the truth." Asher said, to his parents at the diner table. His dad continued to eat, but his mother dropped his fork.  
"Honey," she started, "I don't think you can do that."  
"Can't I tell just one of them? It doesn't feel right," Asher said, "lying to them. They were my only friends."

Asher's dad looked up from his mashed potatoes, and looked at his son.  
"You can get charged for that, Asher."

Asher only poked his potatoes with his fork.

"Asher! Your Hogwarts letter is here!"

Asher ran over to his dad, grabbing the letter from his hand.  
"Thanks dad. I'm going to go open it in my room. And I'm going to Gabe's again later. I should be back by dinner."  
"Sure thing."

Asher walked back to his room, tearing the letter open, careful to make sure nothing ripped. He read it through quickly, and smiled. Tossing it into his backpack, still withholding its undetectable extension charm, he packed up and left for Gabe's.

Down the street, he knocked on Gabe's door and made his way to the basement. Gabe and Luke were playing Super Smash Brothers again, and Martha was watching.  
"Hey Martha, I need to show you something." Asher said, dropping down his backpack, and grabbing the letter. He made his way into the next room, out of Luke and Gabe's view, and gestured for Martha to follow. She did, and the two of them were left standing in the next room.

"I haven't been completely honest with you guys," Asher started, and Martha narrowed her eyes. "I'm not off with a doctor, I'm at a new school. Because normal school doesn't teach me what I need to know."  
"What on earth are you talking about?" Martha asked, crossing her arms.

"I'm a wizard."

Martha stared at Asher for a long moment, before laughing.  
"That's a good one," she stifled her laughs, "never heard that one before."  
"I wasn't kidding!" Asher looked offended, "I would show you, but I'm not allowed to do magic outside of school. Here, look at this." Asher handed Martha the letter, and she took it. Quickly looking it over, she sceptically handed it back to Asher.

"So," she started, "pretending this is all real. You've been away at this school," Asher nodded, "learning magic," Asher nodded, "with a bunch of other wizards that are our age." Asher nodded.  
"Why haven't you introduced me to any?" She smacked him on the arm. "Wizard boys probably look so much better than the boys around here! I'm stick with those two, Dylan and Clyde." She shuddered.  
"I can show you pictures tomorrow, Sean sent some by mail yesterday." Asher told her, and she raised an eyebrow.  
"By mail?"  
"Yeah," he nodded, "we have owls that bring our mail everywhere. It's way more efficient than the real post, and the Wizarding World doesn't usually have technological advances. The magic blocks it out."

Martha raised another eyebrow.  
"Oh," Asher added, "and the pictures move, so that'll be more proof." He grinned at Martha shocked expression.  
"Fine." She scowled, "but I expect you to be at my house, with proof, tomorrow."  
Asher grinned, "No problem."

"Here you go." Asher handed Martha a picture.

The picture was taken on Asher's last day at Hogwarts. It depicted his main group of friends; Valerie, Sean, Liz, Levi, Julian, Thad and Brooke. Valerie was at the back with Sean, on either side of Asher, their arms around each other. Levi and Julian were in the middle row with Brooke, and they were making the 'peace sign' behind Thad's head, and he was looking down, reading a book, in the front row. Beside him was Liz, who was smiling toward the camera. The entire picture showed then swaying slightly back and forth, and everyone was laughing, except Thad, who was reading his book.

"Any of the guys single?" Martha asked, holding the picture up to Asher.  
"Uuuhm. As far as I know, all of them," he said, and Martha grinned, "but Thad, he's the one reading the book, has his sights set on someone else. Levi and Julian, the two laughing behind Thad and making that sign behind his head, they're jokesters, so they might not be the best pick…" Asher laughed.  
"Any good looking guys outside your group?" she asked, and Asher made a face.  
"I guess so," he muttered, "why?"  
"I want you to make friends with them," she said, "and then I expect to see pictures of them when you get them. You're going to write to me often." She smiled, and Asher laughed.

"I want a minimum of three new good looking guys sent to me by the Christmas holidays." She grinned. "And if I ever come to visit, you are going to introduce me to all of them."  
"Uuuhm," Asher said, "about that."

Martha raised an eyebrow.  
"I wasn't actually supposed to tell anybody. We aren't really allowed visitors." Martha gave him a look, before nodding.  
"I guess that's understandable," she smiled, "Now. I couldn't help but noticing it say you need to pick two electives for this year."

Asher groaned.  
"And I'm going to help you pick them." She grinned again, and Asher nodded.  
"Alright. Tell me what you know about each subject."

"Well, there's five I can pick from, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies."  
"Muggle?"  
"Non-magic people," Asher clarified, "like you."

"So, Arithmancy is like, math. It's a bunch of numbers and their magical properties. Ancient Runes is a lot like French class, only instead of French, it's Runes. You need to learn how to write and read them and translate and stuff. Those two are the hardest."  
Martha nodded, taking in the information.  
"Care of Magical Creatures is pretty much us learning how to deal with magic stuff. Like unicorns, or griffins. Divination is like fortune-telling. A bunch of people say it's mumbo-jumbo and you can just make stuff up. Muggle Studies, as obvious, is learning about muggles. Because some wizard families don't have contact with them."

"Well it seems pretty simple to me. You're going to take Divination and Ancient Runes."  
"Why Ancient Runes? That's like the hardest one!"  
"Well we don't want you to be stupid. And the lack of real work in Divination will make up for that." She tapped her head, "you need to think these things through, balance."

Asher rolled his eyes.  
"And besides, that Thad guy is reading a Runes textbook in this picture," she pointed down at the blue textbook Thad was pictured reading, "so he'll be able to help if you need anything. And," she continued, "you can hang out with him more. He looks a little lonely."

"Thanks Martha."

"I'm going to miss you again, you know." Martha said, standing beside the Wood family's car before it drives away to King's Cross station for another year. "We all will."  
Asher nodded, "I'll miss you too. I'll try keeping in touch this time."

She grinned. "Good." She leaned in and whispered, "I promise I won't tell anybody. I wouldn't want you to have to come back to our school. It's absolutely terrible."  
Asher laughed.  
"Hit Clyde and Dylan for me." He smiled at her, "I still can't stand them."

She laughed, "Of course."

"Bye."  
"Yeah, see ya, Martha."

Asher's dad came running from the front step, and hopped in the car. The family waved a goodbye to Martha before setting off for King's Cross Station.  
And another year at Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Be sure to review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

**2 - Return to Hogwarts**

"Asher!"  
Asher turned on his heel to see Valerie running toward him. She had grown, a few inches, and her curly black hair was longer. It was reaching past her shoulder-blades, and she pinned it to keep it out of her eyes. She was already wearing her Slytherin robes, and Asher could see Chase jogging over from a man and a woman, who Asher assumed were Valerie's parents, to meet up with them.

"I never introduced you," Valerie smiled, "this is my little brother, Carson." She gestured to the little boy who was following her. "He heard me talking about you, and he really wanted to meet you."  
"Hi." Carson said, waving up at Asher. Asher grinned.  
"Hello."  
"He's only ten, but he'll be at Hogwarts next year. Merlin help us all." She chuckled, and Carson frowned at her.  
"Hey! My little brother," Asher pointed to Griffin, "is ten too. You guys seem like you'd be great friends."

Carson smiled, and then hobbled over to Griffin, and the two seemed to strike up a conversation almost instantly.  
"That went well." Chase's voice rang out, and Asher glanced up at him.  
"Chase! It's good to see you again. After all, you've practically moved in with Damon now." Valerie teased, hitting him on the arm. He blushed.  
"So, Val." Chase said, "I realise I forgot to tell you, but…" he trailed off, and Valerie perked up. "I'm Head Boy!"

The two of them squealed, and hugged. There was a chuckle, and Chase turned to see Damon waiting, hand outstretched.  
"I take it you're excited?" he joked, and Chase blushed, taking his hand.

"I'll see you guys later. Damon and I are going to hit up the Head Boy's compartment…" he blushed a darker red at his statement, and quickly snapped his head to a laughing Valerie. "Not like that!"

Chase stormed off, Damon laughing and following behind. Coming from the direction Chase was going, Sean came running, followed shortly by Julian.  
"Good to see you two again." Valerie greeted, smiling.  
"Likewise," Sean faux-bowed. The two laughed, and Julian rolled his eyes, before turning to Asher.  
"Levi is sitting with Thad in a compartment. He saved us one, and he's trying to get Thad to talk."  
"Still silent?" Valerie asked, and Julian nodded solemnly.

"He didn't write me at all this summer," Valerie pointed out, "I don't know why."  
"I didn't get any e-mails from him either, so he must have been busy."  
"What's an e-mail?" Sean asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Are you taking Muggle Studies?" Asher asked him, and he nodded. "You'll find out."  
"Speaking of electives," Valerie said, turning to the three boys, "What are you guys taking? Well, obviously not Arithmancy or Ancient Runes…"  
"Well," Julian started, "Levi and I decided to take the same electives. Thought it'd be better to 'learn' when we're laughing with each other. We're taking Divination and Care of Magical Creatures." He grinned, turning to Sean.  
"I'm taking Divination and Muggle Studies." He said, ad he pointed to Valerie.  
"Well, I'm taking Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures." She grinned, and the three turned to Asher.

"Erm," he stalled, "I'm taking Divination…" he trailed off, and the others looked at him expectantly. "And Ancient Runes."

They looked at him in shock, before grinning.  
"Wait till Thaddy hears about this!" Julian beamed, before running onto the train.

"We should probably get headed off now…" Sean muttered, waving a goodbye to his family. Asher nodded, and he lead the way onto the train.

They searched briefly, before finding the compartment with Levi, Thad and Julian in it. They squeezed in, leaving enough room for a few more people, before Asher stood and walked into the hallway.  
"I'll be right back," he told the others, "I have to do something first."

They nodded, and Asher took off down the train.  
Looking briefly into each compartment, he looked for a few students in his year that he heard 'looked nice' according to Valerie and Elizabeth, who were spending increasingly more time together.

"Oh," he said, popping his head back into a compartment he passed. "Flint, do you wanna come sit with us?"  
Flint was sitting alone in a compartment with Emma, and the two were talking quietly, before Asher's interruption. Emma nodded quickly, and Flint shrugged.  
"I don't see why not."

Asher lead them down the train, back to the compartment where the others were sitting. Opening the compartment's door, Asher let Flint and Emma walk in.  
Getting the two of them into his compartment was a double-kill. He could get closer to Flint, and get a picture for Martha, and he could try getting Thad to speak to Emma. The plan was foolproof.  
Until he realised that their company only made Thad _more_ shy, and he buried his face on the book he was reading, his face a dark red colour.

"I brought company." Asher said cheerily, and the others waved at them. Asher sat down beside Sean, and the two hi-fived. Clearly he understood Asher's motive of bringing Emma.

"So… what elective are you guys taking?" Flint tried to strike up a conversation, and Levi grinned.  
"Well, we're all in Divination." He said, laughing. Flint glanced over at him.  
"Aw, it sucks," he said, "I didn't take that class. I was sort of hoping to spend more time with you guys." He grinned at Levi, and Levi shrugged.  
"What electives _are_ you taking then?" Levi asked, and Flint grinned.  
"Emma and I are both taking Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes."

Thad's ears perked up, similar to a bunny, and he began to listen over his book.  
"That's great! Asher and Thad are taking Ancient Runes too. Well," Levi put his finger on his chin, "Thad is taking _all_ the electives, so I guess he's going to be in all out classes. They made it possible to do that this year," Levi explained, "you used to have to get this _Time Turner_ thing from the headmistress, but they thinned down the classes so you can fit them all in."

"I also heard that Headmistress McGonagall was starting some sort of Duelling Club. Apparently they'd tried it before and it was a success, but the teacher got hit with a memory charm and they had to stop it." Julian said, and Flint perked up again.  
"Sweet, I'd love to do that. I doubt anybody can beat me at duelling. I know a bunch of spells." Flint grinned, and Levi raised an eyebrow.  
"I bet you don't know more spells than Thaddy-kins here!" He patted Thad on the shoulder. "He's read through some fourth-year textbooks already."

"Would you shut up?" Thad snapped at Levi, and he flinched. The rest of the compartment sat awe-struck, except Emma and Flint, who looked oblivious.  
"Were you just…" Valerie trailed off.  
"Angry?" Julian finished, and Valerie nodded.

Thad glared at them, before standing up and walking from the room. Asher gave a look to the others that said 'I'm going to follow' before leaving the compartment after him.

Asher caught glimpse of Thad's cloak entering another compartment and he followed. He had entered one that was quite a distance away, and Asher assumes he had been running. As he neared the door to the new compartment he stopped when he heard sobbing.  
"He embarrasses me all the time. And it's not just that he's making me seem like a nerd, it's that _stupid_ nickname."

Asher left before the muttering got too private. He returned to the compartment where the others were sitting, and when he stepped in, everyone was eating a liquorice wand.

"Want one?" Flint asked, holding one out, but Asher shook his head.  
"No thanks."

Unloading from the train, Asher jogged over to Flint.  
"Hey," he stopped, panting, "do you think maybe we could hang out sometime? Get to know each-other? You seem like you're fun to hang out with."  
"Can I bring Emma?" he asked, and Asher nodded.  
"Sure, bring whoever you need to."  
"Sweet. So it's okay if I bring Seth? He's my best pal, and it wouldn't feel right leaving him out."  
"Oh, yeah," Asher nodded, "no problem."

Flint grinned, "Alright, see you outside the Great Hall at two tomorrow?"  
Asher gave a thumbs up.  
"I'll be there."

Asher ran back over to Valerie, Sean and Liz, who were crowding themselves into carriages that were being pulled by what seemed to be invisible horses.  
"What was all that about?" Sean asked, gesturing to the conversation that he had just had with Flint.  
"Oh," he huffed, "I'm hanging out with Flint tomorrow at two."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Befriending the enemy?"  
"We're friends with you," Elizabeth pointed out, and Valerie scoffed.  
"But I was your friend _before_ I was the enemy. He wasn't."

Asher only shook his head. "I made a deal that I'd get pictures of some attractive guys for her, and it'll look creepy if I just take a picture of him. I want to be his friend, not a stalker." Elizabeth laughed.  
"I take it this means you need us to determine good looked guys for you to befriend?"  
Asher nodded, and Elizabeth and Valerie both laughed. They looked between each other before nodding once.  
"Dante, from Hufflepuff is a must. And Noah isn't that bad looking. Either of them would be a sufficient next pick."

Sean rolled his eyes in the corner of the carriage, and Asher laughed.  
"I can probably just take a picture of Noah, he's in our common room all the time. It won't be too creepy, I room with the guy."  
"And who is Dante?" Sean asked, butting into the conversation.  
"You remember those Quidditch 'tryouts' from last year that you were in?" Sean nodded, "He was the Hufflepuff boy that didn't get to practice for Keeper."  
Sean nodded, and shrugged his shoulders.  
"For a dude, he was okay looking."

"Welcome all to another year at Hogwarts!" the headmistress called out, and the hall cheered. "Now that the first years have been sorted, I will say a few announcements before beginning the feast. Firstly, the Chamber of Secrets, that most of you are familiar with from last year, as been permanently closed. Using the help of the expelled students, we have opened it and filled it. There is no more chance of threat, and the second floor girl's bathroom is open for functioning again.  
As always, the forest on school grounds is off-limits. Quidditch will resume as regularly scheduled, and prefects are reminded of their patrol duties. They are reminded to meet with the Head Boy, Chase Baxter, and set their schedules.  
In other news, a duelling club will be started at Hogwarts this year. Students years two and onward are encouraged to come out and test their skills against other students. The duelling club will be monitored by Professor Wood, the Transfiguration teacher, and Professor Demogorgon, the Defence Against the Darks Arts teacher.  
Those are all the announcements that need to be made, and I wish you all, a wonderful year at Hogwarts."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry if Thad seems like a Mary Sue, as I mentioned in Swish and Flick, HE DOES HAVE SOME MAJOR FLAWS, we just haven't really seen any yet. :/**

* * *

**The Duelling Club**

"Wake up!"

Asher slid his eyes open, to see Levi grinning over him. He groaned, and turned a bit to look over at the next bed. On it, Julian was grinning in a similar way to Levi, and the two of them were glancing occasionally at Thad.  
"I have a plan." Levi whispered, "we're going to get Thad a girlfriend."

Asher rolled his eyes. Levi looked offended, and sat back slightly.  
"Don't you think you should just, stay out of his personal life? I mean," Asher said, "he's already angry at you, I don't think you should give him any more reason to be."  
"But that's why we're setting him up with Emma." Levi explained, rolling his eyes at the 'obvious' reason, "he's so in love with her that it'll make him forget he was even angry at us in the first place."

Asher only raised an eyebrow, before turning away and getting ready for the day. He only had two classes, Herbology and Ancient Runes. Ancient Runes ended at two, and he would spend time with Flint afterward.

Walking from the dorm into the common room, Asher waved at Elizabeth, who was walking beside Thad. She had become his closest friend, and the only person he had contacted over the summer holidays. If someone saw Thad speaking, it was to Elizabeth, or to answer a question in class.

The Ravenclaw second-years made their way to the greenhouses for class with the Gryffindors. Gryffindor was the house that Asher liked the most outside his own. He had more friends in it than he did in Hufflepuff, and they were genuinely nicer than most of the Slytherin students.

Asher followed behind Sean into greenhouse three, and the two of them sat down at opposite sides of the large table running down the middle of the greenhouse. They were cleaned well, and you couldn't tell that they had, in fact, been burned to the ground the year before.

The Ravenclaw students waited with Madam Pomfrey as the Gryffindor students filled into the greenhouse. At the very back, Flint was laughing with Emma and Olivia, Asher's potions partner from the year before. Asher waved to them, and the three of them sat by Levi, who was sitting at the end of the row.

Madam Pomfrey left them through the magical qualities of wormwood, before she dismissed, and the students left the steamy greenhouse.

"Merlin," Flint gasped, "it gets hot in there." He proceeded to pull his robe off, and he was left in his white dress shirt, Gryffindor tie, and black trousers. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and huffed out a breath.

Splitting from the others, Asher, Flint, Emma, Elizabeth and Thad began to walk to Ancient Runes.  
"So, why are you guys taking Ancient Runes?" Flint struck up a conversation, and Asher looked over to him.  
"I figured I'd get some balance from Divination… and my friend talked me into it." He explained sheepishly. Flint laughed.  
"I thought to myself; 'why not build up some intellect? You never know when you might need to translate some runes. And I got Emma to tag along." He said, patting Emma on the shoulder.  
"What about you two?" Emma asked, looking over to Liz and Thad, who had become a light shade of pink when he was addressed.  
"Erm…" Thad started, but Liz cut him off. "Thad finds it interesting, and I took it to keep him company. I didn't expect anybody else we knew to take it." She said, and Thad sent her a look of thanks.

"That's good." Emma smiled at Thad, and Asher looked between the two. Emma seemed ecstatic, but Thad didn't seem to be paying her any attention. To put it simply, Asher was confused.

They walked into class, and Asher took a spot next to Flint and Emma. Thad and Liz went to the very back of the class, and sat the furthest away from the teacher as possible. Emma nudged Asher's arm.  
"Do you know if, maybe, Thad fancies me?"

Asher smiled at her.  
"As far as I know," he said, "yeah."

Emma smiled, and turned back to face the front, as the teacher stepped up to introduce the lesson.

Asher was going to fail Ancient Runes.

Not three minutes into the lesson, he was behind. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing, and the Runic Dictionary sitting in front of him was no help whatsoever. Flint seemed to be having similar troubles, but he was getting help from Emma. At the back of the room, Thad looked excited, and him and Liz were both staring down at a Runic Dictionary and talking.

They were the only five people in the class, and Asher thumped his forehead onto the desk.

At two, Asher left the class with a slight headache, and walked over to Flint, who was leaning on a nearby wall.  
"Hey, you ready?"

Flint looked up, looking apologetic.  
"Sorry, the Duelling Club sign up and practice-thing is in five minutes. Maybe another time?" his eyebrows furrowed into a look that seemed apologetic, and Asher nodded.  
"Sure, I actually planned on doing that too, thanks for the reminder."

Flint lit up, grinning. "No problem," he said, "you're positive it isn't a problem?"  
"No, not at all."

Flint nodded, before walking down the corridor toward the Great Hall. Asher waited a bit, then followed.

Stepping into the Great Hall, Asher noticed that it was significantly different. The tables had been rearranged into one long strip moving down the center, and there were long blue tablecloths covering the tables. The tablecloths had patterns of stars, and moons on either end.

"Alright everyone," Asher's dad stepped onto the table, wearing a red sweater and brown pants. "we're going to show you how to properly duel, and then maybe get a few of you up here to demonstrate."

He stepped to the center of the tables, and Professor Demogorgon, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, did the same. The two faced each other, and bowed. "You bow to your opponent, turn, take three steps, then turn to face them." Asher's dad narrated each step, and the two were standing with their wands pointed toward each other.

"To block, you use the spell I'm sure Professor Demogorgon has taught you, _Protego_."

Professor Demogorgon set out a jinx, and Asher's dad swung his wand to the side and a small blue 'shield' of magic protected him from the spell and knocked it away.  
"Use spells to disarm your opponent, not to injure."

Asher's dad sent out a spell which connected with Professor Demogorgon, and he was sent flying backward and onto the moon at the end of the table. Standing, he brushed himself off and stepped back to his spot.  
"The duel ends when one side has been knocked down three times. The trick is to aim your spells for points that the opponent cannot defend easily. The chest is a common target, but it gives the opponent plenty of room to block."

"Alright," Professor Demogorgon said, looking over at the crowd, "lets get some of you up here. How about…" he trailed off, and then grinned. "my best student. Thad, if you'd please." He gestured to the tables, and every eye turned to the back of the room where Thad was standing.

He blushed like mad, and slowly made his way up to where the professors were standing. Asher's dad looked out and scanned the crowd. "Mr. Wilson? Would you mind?"

Flint grinned, and stepped onto the other side of the tables, and the two stepped into the middle. Bowing, turning and reaching their spots, they turned to face each other, wands outstretched.  
"Remember, only to disarm."

Flint grinned, "I'm sorry if these hurt." He said, and every eye turned to Thad, whose expression hadn't changed. It was still blank, and the students around were looking for some sort of weakness from him, but he didn't show any.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Flint shouted, thrusting his wand in Thad's direction. Thad flicked his wand to the side and defended. Without speaking, he thrust his wand, and a flash of red light hit Flint's legs. He was sent flipping through the air, and onto the moon at the opposite end of the room.  
Eyes were shot in Flint's direction briefly, before settling on Thad, who had a remorseful expression on his face. As Flint hit the table, Thad flinched.

Flint returned to his position, and brushed himself off. He repeated his jinx, but Thad deflected it again. Thad did the same as earlier, and Flint went to block his legs. However, his spell hit Flint in the shoulder, sending him flying back to the end of the table again.

Laughing, Flint stood, and returned to his position. Before Flint could do anything, Thad sent out another jinx, and Flint flew back to his spot at the end of the table. Flint was laughing, but Thad just turned and fled the room.

Everyone in the room, especially the professors, were confused at Thad's escape, but their thoughts were interrupted as Flint came over to Asher, still laughing.

"Well," he said, stretching, "for a nerd, his spells hurt."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry I didn't update this as fast as I said I would, but It's tedious editing it all by myself. Plus, I have my other stories. I hope you like it nonetheless! Review!**

* * *

** 4 - What Are You Afraid Of?**

"Are you guys going to try out for the Quidditch team this year?"

Asher, Valerie, Sean and Julian turn to Levi, who is grinning with anticipation at them.  
"Damon is captain again. We all should. It'd be sweet if some of us were on the team!" Levi explained, getting more excited by the second, "People would take us more seriously!"  
Valerie laughed, "You mean they'd take _you_ more seriously. We're already taken seriously. Everyone else just thinks you're an idiot." The four laughed, but Levi just huffed.  
"It was just a suggestion. I heard Thad telling Liz that he was actually going to join this year. Damon was thrilled."

The four of them looked at Levi with disbelief. He simply grinned from ear-to-ear and nodded. "Looks like I know Thaddy-kins better than you guys do."

"The try outs are this afternoon. We should go and watch." Asher nudged Julian. Julian nodded.  
"I just hope that Damon puts me on the team again this year." Sean huffed, and Valerie gave him a look of sympathy.  
"My house's tryouts aren't until next week. I'm going for Beater."  
"Good luck." Sean smiled at Valerie and she smiled back.

"Alright guys, this is how it's gonna work." Damon started, addressing the line of Ravenclaw students standing in Quidditch robes. "Chase and I are going to send you through some drills and we'll pick the positions from there."  
"I don't see how it's fair that your boyfriend made the team without needed to try out." A fifth-year boy said from down the line, and Damon's mouth formed a line.  
"Chase has already proven that he is a perfectly fine Quidditch player. I haven't seen any of you play and actual Quidditch match before." The boy at the end of the line shut up.

Asher was watching the Ravenclaws from the stands. Among them, were Sean, Thad, Levi and Noah. Julian was sitting beside Asher on the stands, making frustrated noises as he attempted to make up something for Divination class.  
"This is so stupid. I don't dream, I can't do a dream journal…."

"Alright guys, on your brooms." Damon ordered, and the Ravenclaws took to the air. After a few flies around the pitch, they returned to the center where Chase was sitting with a quaffle.  
"Anybody who is trying out for Chaser, over there," he gestured to one side of the pitch, "Beaters there," he gestured in front of him, "and Seekers there." He pointed to the other side of the pitch.  
"What if we want to be Keeper?" the same boy from earlier asked.  
"Damon is already Keeper. He's keeping his spot."

The boy made a face, and flew over to the spot where the potential Chasers were. In the group were Levi and Sean. Noah had flown to the Beater area, and Thad was sitting in the Seeker section with three other Ravenclaws, all bigger than him, but looking nervous.

"We'll start with the Chasers, since there's more of them on a team." Damon said, and nodded at Chase, who handed the quaffle to Sean. "Try to score."

Sean went at the hoops that Damon was guarding, and threw the quaffle. Damon had misjudged the spot he was throwing to, and it went in. After a few more throws, Sean handed the quaffle over to Levi, who threw it a few times. The potential Chasers rotated until Damon was getting tired, and the Chasers flew to the ground.

Noah and the Beaters were up. Damon took a fly around the pitch and the Beaters needed to protect him from the bludgers. Next up, Chase would fly, and the Beaters needed to hit bludgers at him. After a while of hitting and dodging, the Beaters flew down to the sidelines.

Thad and the three other seekers flew forward, and Chase grinned.  
"We'll be pitting two of you against each other, much like we did to the first years last year," Damon explained, "and the winners will go against each other, as well as the losers. Sort of like a tournament. Winning all your matched doesn't necessarily mean you get the spot, because even if you lose, you could only be doing a few small things wrong, and we can work on those."

The four potential Seekers nodded, and then Thad flew over to the side of the pitch with another Ravenclaw as the two others faced off.  
During the match, Thad made eye contact with Asher, who gave him a thumbs up. Thad smiled sheepishly, but turned back to watch the others fly.

"So, Thad," Damon started, nudging Thad's elbow, "I see how you've been acting around a certain Gryffindor."  
Thad blushed dark red instantly, and Damon only chuckled a little.  
"Don't worry, you're not obvious. I just have a knack for seeing these kinds of things. If you need any advice, feel free to come to me or Chase." Thad nodded, and Damon returned his gaze to the two duelling Seekers.  
"Oh and Thad," Damon said, still watching the two fly, "I know they made the Gryffindor team this year," Thad blushed again, "but don't let that stop you from crushing them when you play."

Damon flew off, and Thad's duel was up.

He glanced warily at the Ravenclaw boy he would be facing off against. He had a look of pure hatred in his eyes as he looked at Thad, and Thad was getting increasingly nervous.

Chase released the Snitch, and the other boy instantly took off in the opposite direction of the Snitch, heading straight at Thad. Thad squealed as the boy ran into him, knocking him straight off the broom and into the ground about fifteen feet below.

The boy was grinning as Damon and Chase sped off to his crumpled form. Asher and Julian ran over from the stands and the other potential players ran over as well. The sight was not pleasant.

Thad's nose and arm were broken, his arm sitting at a funny angle, and he was unconscious. There was blood slowly dripping from his broken arm and his nose had dyed his entire body in crimson.  
"Somebody bring him to the Hospital Wing, quick!"

Noah rushed forward, carefully picking Thad off from the pitch and taking off in the other direction, while the gathered crowd could only watch.  
"Well, that's unfortunate."

The group turned to see the Gryffindor Captain slowly trotting toward them from his place at the stands, flanked by Flint, Emma and Olivia.  
"What do you want, Leo?" Damon asked angrily.  
"Just checking up on the team. From what I saw of the tryouts, it looks like Ravenclaw won't be winning the Cup this year."  
"Go away, Leo." Damon grumbled, and Leo laughed.

"What? Intimidated? I know that these three players are going to bring us the win this year." Leo gestured to Flint, Emma and Olivia.

Flint had no expression on his face, he was only looking through the crowd of Ravenclaws for someone he knew. He made eye contact with Asher and his eyes immediately looked remorseful. Asher nodded once, and Flint looked away. Olivia just looked unsure, and Emma had the biggest looks of worry on her face. She kept glancing away to see if she might see Noah returning with news on Thad.

"I know that after _that_ fall, I wouldn't want to play Quidditch ever again…."

Two days later, Thad was back to classes, and a few people asked to sign the cast on his arm. It was on his left hand, so him, being right-handed, wasn't impaired for classes. Thad, Asher, Sean, and Noah were walking to Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Thad was walking and laughing with Noah.

It seemed that the two of them had formed a friendship after the incident. According to Noah, Thad had come back to reality part-way to the Hospital Wing, and started screaming at the blood he had all over him. He managed to catch a glimpse of Noah's face before passing out again.  
After he had woken up the second time, he was thankful for Noah bringing him to the Hospital Wing, and the two had struck up a conversation. It seemed that Noah and Thad had a lot in common, and the two quickly became good friends.

Stepping into their usual seats, the four of them noticed that the blackboard at the front of the room was cleared, as supposed to the usual clutter of information.

"Alright class. I want each of you to rip a corner or something off the corner of your parchment. I want you to write something you are afraid of on it, and I will collect them. They will remain anonymous, so don't be afraid."

The class did as told, and Professor Demogorgon quickly went around and gathered them. He then walked up to the blackboard and wrote at the top, in big letters, PHOBIA.  
He turned around and looked over to the class.

"In order for a wizard to truly defend themselves in any situation, they must not have fear. If they do, it may cloud their judgment and potentially cause them harm. So, over the course of the next few weeks, we are going to get you all over your biggest fears."

A few people paled, and the teacher noticed. "Now, I realise I said that these would remain anonymous, but it is easier to face fears at first when being assisted by those you trust. I would like each of you to partner yourselves with someone you trust fully, and then sit beside that person."

The class shuffled around a bit, and then sat. Thad was seated beside Noah, and Sean beside Asher. They grinned at each other, before looking back at Professor Demogorgon.  
"Good! Everyone has a partner. Now. We're going to write the name of these phobias on the blackboard and then we're going to have the person attempt to confront the fear, _with_ their partner."

The professor looked reached down and grabbed one of the sheets from his desk. He looked it over, then went over to the blackboard and wrote, BASIPHOBIA. A few students looked confused so, underneath he wrote, FALLING.

"Alright, if this is the fear you wrote down, please step forward with your partner." After a few moments, Levi stepped up with Julian. Levi looked slightly embarrassed, but Professor Demogorgon simply nodded.  
"Well, we don't exactly have anywhere for you to fall from, so we'll need to do that next class. How about you?" He gestured to Julian, who paled and murmured something to the professor. He nodded in understanding and erased the words from the board, replacing them with two others. OPHIDIOPHOBIA and SNAKES.

"Well, after the events occurring last year, I'm not surprised with this outcome. However, I do have a snake here," he walked over to his desk and retrieved a box, which h dropped onto a desk with a slam, before flicking it open.

A long cobra slithered out from the box, and immediately looked over at Julian, who was now a pale white colour. The class was watching nervously as Julian made no move to defend himself.  
"Now, a sufficient spell to defeat snakes is _Vipera Evanesca_, so you should use that spell in these situations, ." Professor Demogorgon stated calmly, but Julian still made no move.

Levi nudged him, and Julian shakily raised his wand. "V-v-v…" but the snake lunged at Julian. Professor Demogorgon flicked his wand, and the snake fell to the floor, burning from its middle to the head and tail, hissing the entire time. Julian and Levi quietly made their ways back to their seats, and the Professor silently moved to grab another piece of paper.

Going back to the blackboard, Professor Demogorgon wrote HEMOPHOBIA, followed by BLOOD. The class looked around, and watched as Thad stood, shortly followed by Noah.

"This is a rather common fear, and we should be able to treat it rather easily. Now, if you wouldn't mind, what exactly happens when you encounter blood?" the professor asked, and Thad looked at his hands sheepishly, before muttering, "I usually scream, a-and then faint."

Noah nodded, and the Professor looked perplexed. "Alright… let's try this. _Silencio_." He cast the spell on Thad, before reaching into the trunk and pulling out a knife. As Thad watched in horror, the professor cut into his hand, drawing a thick line of crimson blood, which spilled out and onto the floor.  
The professor was watching Thad's reaction, and noticed that his face was in a state that looked like screaming, before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell face-forward into the stone floor.

Nobody was there to catch him, and his head smashed on the stone. The professor quickly cast a spell to heal his wounded hand, before rushing over to Thad and turning him over. His forehead was scraped and bleeding slightly, and the professor cursed.  
"Would you mind taking him to the Hospital Wing?" the professor asked Noah, who was crouched over Thad as well, before Noah scooped Thad up in a similar manner as the Quidditch incident and carried him from the room.

"Right, well. We'll continue this lesson next class. Class dismissed."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: This is definitely one of my favourite chapters... Review! **

* * *

**5 - Quidditch Duel**

Christmas was approaching and classes were going swimmingly. Asher had sent pictures of both Noah and Flint to Martha, who had sent her approval back. The two wrote each other often, and Asher was relieved that he had at least one person outside of Hogwarts that he could confide in.  
Martha was becoming increasingly anxious to hear about Dante. Asher had attempted to describe him in a letter, but Martha was adamant for photographic evidence before she believed in his attractiveness.

Thad and Noah were spending more and more time together, though the two of them never left the common room. At most hours the others were out, so the two spent most of the time alone, discussing whatever came to mind.

After the incident, Thad had refused to step foot on the Quidditch Pitch. As a result, the other boy, Josiah, was named Seeker and it was clear where the team's loyalties lied. Sean, Levi and Noah also made the team, and each of them would give Josiah dirty looks when flying past. They constantly argued with Damon about switching Seekers, but Damon insisted that Josiah was the best of the remaining options, despite his temper.

Asher was seeing less and less of Liz, as she was now spending a majority of her time with Noah and Thad, or just in the library. A few times they saw each other and said hello, but it was a rare occasion.

Slipping away from the noise of the common room, Asher made his way out to find Dante. He made the trip down the Ravenclaw Tower, to the fork where the fifth floor transfers into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Tower, and made his way down to the third floor, where the Hufflepuff common room was located.

It was common knowledge that the Hufflepuff Common Room was behind a painting, similar to the Gryffindor Common Room. Stepping up to the painting, Asher leaned against a wall and waited for a Hufflepuff student to walk by, or leave the Common Room.

Moments later, the portrait swung open and a boy in fifth year stepped out.  
"Excuse me," Asher started, tapping the boy's shoulder, "Do you think you can help me with something?"  
"Sure thing," the boy smiled at Asher warmly, "What do you need?"

Asher could easily determine the Irish accent that the boy had, and his bright blue eyes were piercing Asher's like knives.  
"I'm looking for Dante," Asher said, "do you know if he's in there?"

The boy grinned, "Ah, you mean my little brother. You just missed him. He said he was heading down to the Quidditch Pitch to meet with some Gryffindors. I think he said their names were Janet and Olivia. He's a ladies' man, that one."

"Oh," Asher smiled back, "Thanks…"  
"It's Desmond, but people call me Des."  
"Alright, thanks Des."

Waving goodbye, Asher walked briskly out to the Pitch, where sure enough, Dante was sitting in the stands with the two Gryffindor girls, laughing up a storm.

"Hey, Asher!" Dante waved down from the stands, and Asher made his was up to meet with the three of them.  
When he got to them, Janet and Olivia waved, and Dante simply leaned back in his spot.  
"So, what's up?"

Just like his brother, Dante had an Irish accent. Also similar to his brother, his hair was often seen slicked back. Des had long, blond hair, and Dante had shorter brown hair. Dante's eyes were a pale gray, and he constantly had a smile on his face. The two siblings had a lot in common, so much that is was almost scary.  
"I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out some time." Asher said timidly, and Dante was still smiling.  
"Sure thing! I'm free tomorrow after Quidditch practice, so you can just come by and watch. We can do something after."  
"Alright, I'll just go now…." Asher turned, awkwardly, and left the Quidditch Pitch.

"Hey! Asher!"

Sitting in the Quidditch stands with Damon and Chase the next day, Asher looked up from where he was watching the Quidditch practice. Des was flying toward him on a broom, clad in Hufflepuff Quidditch robes. Damon and Chase were watching the Hufflepuff team practice.  
"We're doomed." Damon was mumbling, head in his hands. Chase was consoling him, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Come to watch the practice?" Des asked, hopping off his broom and onto the stands.  
"Yeah, Dante and I are going to hang out later."  
"Well why don't you fly with us? All three of you?"

Damon and Chase looked up, and Des gave them a reassuring smile.  
"Come on! My older brother Drake is captain, he won't mind!" Flicking his wand, Des called out three brooms from the broom shed. The other people sitting in the stands were watching, amused by Des' antics.

"Fine. Do you mind if I send for the Ravenclaw team? We can have a scrimmage. No points." Damon asked, and Des nodded.  
"I don't see why not. It'd be great practice for both teams."

Grabbing his wand, Damon cast a spell. Out came the blue-ish wispy form of a small lion. The lion ran from the pitch and into the castle.  
"What was that?" Asher asked, still watching the elegant form of the lion run up to the castle.  
"That's my patronus. If you stick with Defence Against the Dark Arts until NEWT level you'll learn it." Damon explained.  
"Why is it a lion?"  
"Well, a patronus typically takes on the form of an animal that has significance to the caster. My dad is a lion tamer in one of those travelling circuses. I was raised around lions. It really wasn't too much of a surprise to me that it was a lion." Damon explained, and Chase leaned in.  
"My patronus is an otter. Damon says it's because I'm hyper, but I say it's because I love to splash in water." Chase said, laughing when Damon picked him up at the waist from behind and sat him on a broom.

"I can see some of the team coming now, we'd better start flying." Damon said, currently swatting Chase's hands away, preventing them from tickling him.

Asher leaned back in his seat as the two flew off to meet with the team.  
"Ah-ah-ah! You're playing too." Des said, grabbing Asher's arm and bringing him to a broom.  
"I don't know how to play Quidditch." Asher attempted to argue, but Des was having none of it.  
"That doesn't matter. At least fly around. The bludgers won't go after you if you aren't in the game." Des pushed Asher onto a broom, and the two of them flew down to where the Ravenclaw team was slowly gathering. Among them, Noah, Levi and Sean.

"So, we're just going to be playing a scrimmage match against Hufflepuff. Did anybody now show up?" Damon asked, and Levi shook his head.  
"Nope, we're all here."  
"Perfect. We'll be playing in our regular positions. Did anybody see if they could get Thad down here? Maybe he changed his mind."

Noah shook his head. "I was with his and Liz when I got the message. I asked if he wanted to come but he just shook his head and left with Liz."  
"Who's Thad?" Des asked from behind Damon.  
"Thad is the guy we were going to appoint Seeker. He had an accident and he doesn't want to come back on the Pitch."  
"Oh, so he was kind of your secret weapon?" Des grinned.  
"Pretty much."

Josiah was scowling at the conversation. Asher noticed out of the corner of his eye that whenever Thad's name was mentioned, Josiah's eyes twitched.  
"Why don't we just play?" Josiah asked grumpily, and Des took his attention from Damon to him.  
"Good idea!"

* * *

Ravenclaw was creamed.

The Hufflepuff team played a perfect game, and to make matters worse, whenever Hufflepuff would score, Josiah would mouth off to Damon.  
"You're not doing your job right!" Josiah screamed at Damon as he flew toward him.  
"I'm doing just fine! If you had caught the Snitch we would have actually won!"  
"Don't lecture me on my job! I was doing just fine!"

It got to the point where Chase flew over to calm down his boyfriend, which only seemed to make Josiah more angry.  
"Of course! Give comfort to the one who was doing everything WRONG!"  
"HEY!" Chase shouted back, "SHUT IT! He did just fine! If you stopped for a second and remembered that this is a _scrimmage_ you might realise that it doesn't matter!"

Josiah flew at Chase, running into him in a similar way he did to Thad. Chase lost his grip on his broom, but managed to reach out and grasp the scarf that hung around Josiah's neck. The two went tumbling to the ground, screaming obscenities the entire way.

The Hufflepuff captain, Drake, cast a spell to stop them from hitting the ground, and the rest of the Ravenclaw team flew over to separate the two, whose argument had escalated into an all-out fist fight.

"Are they always like this?" Dante asked Asher, the two of them watching from the sidelines as Levi and Noah unsuccessfully attempted to hold Chase back from Josiah, who was being held by Sean and Nathan, the other Beater.  
"Not usually. Josiah's kind of a git though, so he's always angry."

Chase wriggled his way from Noah and Levi's grasp and pulled his wand out. Quickly, Josiah squirmed from Sean and Nathan's grip and did the same. The two then began to cast spells at each other.

Bright blue sparks were shot continuously from Chase's wand, and red from Josiah's. The sparks would collide in mid-air, exploding together in shimmers of purple. Nobody made a move to stop them, until Damon had flown over to Chase in an attempt to end the duel.

Red sparks collided with Damon's back, and he was sent flying into the stands. Onlookers in the stands gasped, and ran to him in an attempt to help, but the duel between Chase and Josiah continued.

"YOU PRICK! I SWEAR TO MERLIN I WILL END YOU!" Chase shouted, eyebrows lowered as his wand movements became more aggressive.

Professor McGonagall came running onto the Pitch, flanked by Professor Demogorgon and Asher's dad, in an attempt to stop the fight.

The sparks continued to fly from the two wands, and the crowd watched as the blue sparks began to make longer distances, causing the purple explosions to happen closer to Josiah.  
Seeing he was losing, Josiah increased the force of his spells, returning the two to what seemed like an even duel. Josiah changed his spell, and the magic shot straight though the blue sparks and collided with Chase's neck.

The teachers rushed forward, finally reaching the two students in time to see Chase tumble backwards onto the pitch, neck-upward covered in a black tar-like substance. Chase was clutching at his throat, and squirming on the ground.

Josiah had leaned down to rest his hands on his knees, as he basked in his victory. The victory was short-lived, however, as Professor McGonagall had stepped forward to stand in front of him.  
"DETENTION. Both of you!" She gestured to Josiah and Chase, who was still struggling. "Three weeks."

Asher's dad had crouched down beside Chase, and was attempting to pry the tar-like substance off of Chase's face, but was unsuccessful.  
"Trying to pull it off won't do anything," Josiah said from his spot in the grass, "I made the spell myself. He either suffocates or gets it off himself."

The teachers glared over at Josiah, before rushing over to Chase, who was struggling less and less, his visible skin becoming more and more pale by the second.  
"Get it off him this instant!" Professor McGonagall screeched at Josiah, who simply shrugged.  
"I told you," he started, "I can't. He has to do it himself."

Professor Demogorgon took out his wand and placed it as the base of Chase's neck. Talking quietly, he spoke to him about what he needed to do. Chase then began to, very slowly, cast a spell to remove the tar-like substance.

The gunk was removed from Chase's face, and Chase collapsed backward once again, unconscious. Asher's Dad then picked him up, and followed the students carrying Damon to the Hospital Wing.

When the injured Ravenclaws were out of sight, the crowd of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students began to disperse, leaving only Asher, Dante, Josiah, Professor McGonagall and Professor Demogorgon.

"You are aware," Professor Demogorgon started, "that the boy you just cursed had a fear of suffocation, correct?" The remaining people turned to look at Josiah, who grinned.  
"I am," he said, still grinning, "I'm in that class, remember?"

"Never before have I ever met a student who cast a spell with the intent to injure another house-mate. Sixty points from Ravenclaw. I will also extend your detention another three weeks. Should you so much as step a toe out of line you will be expelled. I will be writing to your parents on the matter."

The professors left the Pitch, and Josiah looked angrily over to Asher and Dante.  
"What?"

The next week, during dinner, the mail arrived. Asher had sent out the picture of Dante earlier, and he was anxious to see her response. Asher's owl dropped three letters at his spot, and the owls flew from the room.

However, once all the owls were gone, one final tawny owl flew in, and dropped a dark red letter directly in front of Josiah.

As expected, the entire hall turned to see what the stray owl was doing, and as soon as the letter was dropped, they understood.  
Nobody at Hogwarts was friends with Josiah. They all found him to be somewhat of a prick. After the duel, resulting in the hospitalization of the Ravenclaw House's two most valuable Quidditch players, he quickly became the most hated student in the school.  
Valerie in particular would send him dirty looks whenever she would walk past him, and often resorted to attempting to trip him in the halls.

The letter opened up, and began screaming in Josiah's face. Josiah looked unfazed, and many of the students around were laughing at his misfortune. When the letter finally stopped yelling, it burst into flames, and dropped into the salad that was sitting on Josiah's plate. He simply pushed the plate aside and continued eating.

"I can't stand that guy."

Asher turned in his seat and was eye-to-eye with Valerie, who had moved over from the Slytherin table to sit with Asher and Sean.  
"I know that Chase is getting out of the Hospital Wing today. Madam Pomfrey has been retrieved tar from his lungs for days. I don't see how he wasn't expelled."

Just as she finished talking, the Great Hall's doors swung open, and Chase walked in.  
It was obvious he had been injured. He wasn't smiling, and there was a large gray mark covering his left eye. From a distance, you couldn't see, but his eyes were two separate colours. His right eye was its usual blue colour, but the left, where the gray mark was, was a blank white.  
The Great Hall went silent, but Chase didn't seem to notice. He simply walked up to Valerie, Sean and Asher and sat down. He grabbed a piece of parchment and bean to write. He passed the sheet to Valerie, who read it aloud.

"_The spell did damage. Madam Pomfrey said my face will change back to its normal colour, but my eye will be like this permanently. For the time being, I can't speak. I'll need to go back to the Hospital Wing weekly to get more tar removed until I can talk again."_


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: And we're almost done this story! As with the whole series, THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL.**

** 6 -The Necklace**

_Dear Asher,  
I appreciate you sending me those pictures. They are currently stored in a photo album under my bed.  
In other news, Gabe has acting strange recently. He's stopped hanging out with Luke and I, and he started to make friends with Clyde and Dylan. We're really worried. I hope you still have the necklace I gave you before you left last year. Hopefully you won't forget about us like Gabe has…._

Asher smiled. Martha always seemed to know how to make him feel better. Moving his hand toward his neck, Asher reached for the beaded necklace she gave him… He felt nothing.

Scrambling, he ran toward the mirror in the second-year boy's dormitory bathroom and frantically checked for the necklace. Nothing.

"I need your help."

Julian looked up from the game of Wizard's Chess he was playing with Levi. Glancing over, one eyebrow raised, at Asher.  
"With?"  
"I need you to help me find my necklace."

Julian grinned, checkmating Levi for the fourth time that evening.  
"Ah," he said, "you need my locating-expertise."

Rolling his eyes, Levi packed up the chess board. "You find things as well as Chase. And he's half-blind."  
Valerie snapped her head in his direction, and he raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean any malice," he protested, "just stating the truth."  
"Nonetheless, my necklace is missing and I don't know what else to do. One of my best friends gave me that necklace. It's really important."

Julian nodded. "Leave it to me!" Before sprinting from the Great Hall and away from the three confused second-years left sitting.

"Lose something?" Josiah asked, stepping by the group ominously, and out the doors of the hall.

"He's just too suspicious to _not_ be involved." Julian explained to Asher, who was unimpressed.  
"So, you're telling me, that Josiah broke into our dorm, and took the necklace off of me as I slept."  
"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"That's really stupid." Thad said, from his spot in the common room. The spot had been appropriately labelled 'Thad's Corner' as it was a desk, surrounded by countless bookshelves in which the boy likes to read anything he could get his hands on. At the moment, he was working on an Ancient Runes essay.

"He speaks!" Julian deadpanned, and Thad simply shrugged.  
"I don't understand why Josiah would bother taking your necklace. He doesn't have any sort of beef with you."  
"He didn't have any sort of beef with you when he knocked you off your broom." Julian pointed out, and Thad glared at him, looking up from his essay.  
"Yes, actually, he did," Thad stopped writing and tossed his quill down, standing from his spot. He began to collect textbooks, "I was trying out for Seeker, and so was he. I was competition."

Storming from the Common Room, Thad carried three textbooks away, presumably to the library. The fire cracked from beside Asher, and Julian simply stared at the door to the Common Room where Thad had just left.  
"What crawled up his arse and died?" Josiah asked, standing in the archway leading to the dormitories.  
"Maybe you should learn to mind your own business, _Josiah_." Julian sneered, and Josiah raised his hands in defence.

"Whoa, back off," he said, "I don't have _any sort of beef with you._"

"So," Noah said, sitting down beside Asher in Transfiguration class, "you and Julian clearly screwed something up. Thad's not talking to anyone." He gestured to Thad, who was sitting alone in the corner of the room, waving his wand at a goblet, bored.  
"Don't bother," Liz said, sitting down on Asher's other side, "at this point, I doubt he'd listen to 'the special one'."

'The special one' is the name that Liz had dubbed Thad's crush, so she could bring them up in typical conversation. There were four people who knew the identity of 'the special one'; Liz, Damon, or so he claims, Chase, and Thad himself.  
"Well maybe if you got the special one to go talk to him, we could test that theory." Levi attempted, sitting down beside Liz, who simply rolled her eyes.  
"As if," she laughed, "I'm not _that_ thick."

"Anyways, I need you guys to help me find my necklace," Asher turned back to Liz and Noah, "Julian seems to think that Josiah is involved, but Thad doesn't think so."  
Liz seemed to be in thought for a moment, "Thad is a better judge of character than Julian."  
"But Julian is better at spying." Noah rebutted. Liz looked at him with a bored expression.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she shrugged, "Is there any spells you can use to find it?"  
"There's one," Asher said, grimacing, "but it's a fourth-year spell. I don't know it."  
"Well then that's your solution!" Levi jumped up, "Find a person who knows the spell and ask them to do it!"  
"How many people do we know that can do this for me?"  
"Simple," Liz shrugged, "we know two, at least. Chase and Damon."

"So," Damon said, "you want me to cast this spell to get your necklace back from wherever it is." Damon was sitting in the Ravenclaw Common Room, on the blue couch, a loveseat, with Chase, who was sitting between his legs. Damon had his arms wrapped around Chase's waist and Chase was snoring quietly, sleeping.

"I guess I can do that," Damon pecked Chase on the temple lightly, and Chase stirred. Reaching to grab his wand off the table in front of the two, Damon stopped. "I don't know what the necklace looks like. I need to know."

Asher quickly grabbed a piece of parchment and began to draw the necklace. After it seemed appropriate, he handed the parchment to Damon, Damon looked it over.  
"Alright, lets do this."

Asher watched, as Damon flicked his wand. "_Accio necklace_."

The two boys waited a bit, before there heard rustling. Looking to the left, in Thad's corner, Asher's necklace was wriggling between two of Thad's textbooks, trying to return to its owner.

"And the necklace was in Thad's corner?" Sean asked, for clarification, as Asher was telling him about the events of the night before.  
"Yeah," Asher nodded, "Maybe that's why Thad said that Josiah didn't have it…."  
"I don't know… it doesn't really seem like something Thad would do…."

"Maybe someone planted it there?" Sean suggested, and the others looked at him. Valerie was the first to speak up.  
"And who would do that?"  
"Josiah."

The others seemed to consider this. "It seems that no matter what happens, we're just going to end up blaming Josiah. Did you guys even give him a chance? Maybe he's just misunderstood." Liz attempted to dispel the impending confrontation, but Asher, Sean and Valerie only looked at her.

"It doesn't matter if he's misunderstood," Valerie argued, "he cursed another person with intent to harm, and that doesn't fly with me."  
"Oh please," Liz scoffed, "you're only saying that because it was your brother. What if it was just some first-year. A Gryffindor, maybe!"  
"It still doesn't take away from the fact that he would be_ cursing_ another person."  
"And to make matters worse," Liz argued back again, "now everyone is shunning him. I don't even think _he_ deserves that."

Valerie was about to argue back, but Sean stepped in. "As much as I've always wanted to witness a catfight, we shouldn't be arguing. We got the necklace back, and that's all that matters."

The girls simply glared at each other, before turning in opposite directions and continuing their work.

"Hey," Damon called up the steps of the Ravenclaw Tower, to Asher, "can we talk?"  
"Sure," Asher shrugged, "what do you need?"

Stepping into the common room, Damon slumped down on a chair and glanced around to see if anyone was watching. Confirming that the coast was clear, he turned back to Asher.  
"I need to do something special for Chase," he explained, "our three-year anniversary is coming up and I want to do something really special. I just don't know what to do for him though."

Asher grinned, "Well, what does he like?"  
Damon sighed, putting his head in his hands, "I've already thought about all that," he sighed again, "I've done everything I can think he would like before. I need something original, this is a big anniversary."  
"Maybe something to commemorate your relationship?" Asher suggested, "You plan on being with Chase for a while, right?"

Damon nodded, looking apprehensive.  
"Then get him a promise ring."  
"A what?"  
"A promise ring. It's sort of like an engagement ring," Damon looked shocked, so Asher backtracked, "but it's not asking him to marry you… yet. A promise ring pretty much asks him to promise that when the time comes, he _will_ marry you. It pretty much secured your relationship until marriage."  
"That's perfect," Damon was grinning ear-to-ear, "what kind of ring should I get?"  
"What's his favourite colour?"

Damon blushed.  
"He says his favourite colour is green because it's the colour of my eyes…."  
"Then get him something with green in it. Not necessarily a green ring, but maybe something silver, with a small green gem in it."  
"Thanks," Damon grinned, "you're pretty good with these things, you know?"

Asher smiled, "Glad I could help."


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: This is the last chapter. I know, this one was much shorter than the other. I promise they will be longer if they have actual plot to them. Most of this installment was filler... Anywho. The sequel (3rd in the series) is called Muffliato. Look out for it! It should be posted sometime soon. **

* * *

**The Quidditch Pitch**

"And it's a promise ring," Chase said to Valerie as the group was walking down to watch the Ravenclaw-Slytherin match, "it means that I'm willing to marry Damon, but just not quite yet."

Chase has regained his ability to speak, and the gray mark on his face was slowly fading away. Few people made eye contact with him now, as his once blue left-eye was now a stark white. He couldn't see out of it, but wasn't struggling to get used to only having the one eye.

"You're lucky," Valerie gushed to her older brother, "I don't think my future boyfriend would think of something like that."  
Chase gave her a look.  
"You aren't going to get a boyfriend. You're my younger sister and that's nasty." Chase made a face, and Valerie laughed, nudging him a bit.

"Well, this is where I leave you," Chase said, as the group had reached the pitch, "I've got to go to the change room and get ready for the match."  
"You're still playing?" Sean asked, nervously.  
"Well, of course!" Chase flailed his arms, "just because I can only see out of one eye doesn't mean I can't fly. Damon has been helping me."  
"Be careful," Valerie said, "I don't think I can stand you being in the hospital wing again this year."  
"I'll be fine."

Chase, Sean, and Levi walked over to the change rooms by the pitch, while Valerie, Asher, and Julian headed for the stands.

On the stands, Asher noticed Des sitting just a small distance away, reading what appeared to be a Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook.  
"Des!"

He looked up from the book, smiling at the three of them. The small group of kids made their way over, and sat beside him.  
"What're you doing?"  
"Just studying for my O.W.L.'s. They're next week and I really don't want to fail." He gestured to his other side, where a large pile of textbooks from various classes were lying.  
"Oh Merlin," Julian groaned, "I've heard of those. Are they bad?"

Des simply laughed. "Funny enough, I hear they're terrible. I only really need to pass Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration, but I think that getting them all would be handy."  
"Let us know if you need help studying or something…" Valerie trailed off, intimidated by the large amounts of textbooks.

"Are you three doing anything for the end of the year celebration? Only two and a half weeks left until the end of the year, and then we're back into summer."  
"Well," Julian started, leaning back on the stands, "Levi and I are planning a little something-something to set off at the feast, but it's confidential."  
"You idiot," Valerie glared, "if it's confidential, you just ruined it. It had better not be one of those Weasley firecrackers. Those are horrid."

"Shhh!" Julian shushed her, "You'll ruin the surprise!"

* * *

"Another ten points to Slytherin! Ravenclaw will need to pick it up if they want to win this!"

"JOSIAH!" Damon shouted from one side of the pitch, "You need to catch the snitch before they get to seventy points! Or we lose the Quidditch Cup!"  
"OKAY!"

Slytherin was at fifty points, and Ravenclaw at zero. The rain was pouring, and those in the stands were watching anxiously. This match would decide the winner of the Quidditch Cup, as Ravenclaw had been in first, with Slytherin not too far behind.

Josiah was struggling to fly in the rain, and the Slytherin Seeker seemed to be having no troubles, aside from being unable to locate the Snitch.  
Chase was flying slowly, barely able to assist the other Chasers as the Slytherin team assaulted their hoops, and Damon wasn't able to move fast enough to stop them.

All in all, Ravenclaw was being creamed.

Noah struck a bludger in the direction of the Slytherin Keeper, successfully knocking him off his broom and to the ground. This let Ravenclaw have an open shot for the remainder of the match, if they could get possession of the quaffle.

Damon lunged for the quaffle, it barely slipping through his fingers, and flying through the hoop.  
"And that's sixty points for Slytherin! One more goal, and Slytherin will win the House Cup!"

Asher could see Josiah's anger. Quick as he could, he shot toward the Snitch, which the Slytherin Seeker had finally noticed. The two were neck-and-neck, flying down the center of the field, as both team's Beaters attempted to pelt the other team's Seeker with bludgers.

Reaching out, a bludger made contact with Josiah's left arm, and he pulled it back, seething between his teeth. The Slytherin Seeker laughed, attempting to speed up, but Josiah was having none of it.

Holding his brooms with just his legs, Josiah attempted to reach out with his other arm, as he had seen videos of a former Gryffindor Seeker, Harry Potter, do once before. Although he had fallen from his broom, he had caught the Snitch, and that was all that mattered.

The second Slytherin Beater knocked a bludger at the two Seekers, which collided with the back of Josiah's head, flinging him from his broom, and knocking him down to the wet grass of the pitch. Thunderous applause came from the Slytherin stands as the Slytherin Seeker clasped his fingers around the golden ball and cried out in victory.

That was it, Ravenclaw had lost the Quidditch Cup.

* * *

"So that's what exams are like." Levi sighed, exasperated, and Julian nudged him.  
"Those were horrible. I feel like we need more mortal danger to cancel exams again."

"Something tells me you just jinxed that." Asher mumbled, rubbing the back of his turquoise hair.

They had just finished their final exam, Transfiguration, and they were heading to the common room to celebrate. Levi, Julian, Asher and Sean all walked side-by-side down the corridor, passing by a few seventh-year students who were cheering.

"We're third year's next year. I can't wait!" Sean whooped, throwing his fist in the air. The other laughed.  
"I don't think I'm going to join Quidditch next year though," Julian said, "Josiah is the captain, and I'm pretty sure he hates all out guts."  
"Ditto."

"I can't believe this is it!"

The four boys glanced to their left, seeing Chase running – more like skipping – down the hall, Damon jogging behind him, trying to keep up.  
"Next year we're off to work, you at the Ministry and myself at the pub in Hogsmeade," Chase mumbled, wrapping his arms around Damon, who had jut caught up, "It's not fair, you'll be so far."  
"Hey," Damon attempted to coo at Chase, who was having none of it, "I'll visit all the time. Besides, next year your sister and her friends get to start going to Hogsmeade, so you'll see them a bunch. It'll be fine."

"I still don't like it." Chase mumbled after a long stretch of silence. Damon simply chuckled, and picked him up bridal-style, carrying him into the common room.

* * *

"Slytherin wins the House Cup."

The hall cheered, except for the select few who disliked the Slytherins, including most of the Gryffindor table, but Asher and his friends clapped along, showing support for Valerie.

Ravenclaw had come in last. This, was understandable considering the amount of fights and trouble that had happened over the course of the term. Hufflepuff had been a close second, losing only by twenty points, but they were good sports, and clapped anyway.

When the food appeared, all sort of thought was blown out the window, and everyone in the hall began devouring the turkey, celebrating the end of another new year.

* * *

"I'll see you guys later, yeah?" Asher asked, stepping off the train and onto Platform 9 ¾, where his parents and Griffin were waiting.  
"Definitely," Julian grinned, "be sure you actually write me this year though."  
"Me too." Levi chimed in.  
"And," Valerie added, "Me three."

"Don't worry you guys," Asher chuckled, "I'll write."

Waving as his family led him away, Asher said goodbye; to his friends, and to his second year at Hogwarts.


End file.
